Irish Abroad: Alchemy to acquire US rights for The Lobster

Variety is reporting that US distributor Alchemy is in final negotiations to acquire the U.S. rights to Yorgos Lanthimos’ Irish set sci-fi-/comedy/drama/romance The Lobster.

The film is Lanthimos’ English language début and is currently competing at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, where it is going down a storm.

The Lobster is an unconventional love story which follows a desperate man who breaks with the rules of the dystopian The City where single people are arrested and obliged to find a matching mate in 45 days at The Hotel. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choosing and released into The Woods.

The Lobster stars Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz in the lead roles, with support from Léa Seydoux, John C Reilly, Ben Whishaw, Olivia Colman, and Michael Smiley.

The film is produced by Ed Guiney, Lee Magiday, Ceci Dempsey and Yorgos Lanthimos. Executive Producers are Andrew Lowe, Tessa Ross and Sam Lavender. The film was developed with financing from Film4, Bord Scannán na hÉireann/ the Irish Film Board, Eurimages, the Netherlands Film Fund, Greek Film Centre and BFI, with Protagonist Pictures, with the participation of CANAL+, CINE+ and Aide aux Cinémas du Monde, Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Ministère des Affaires Étrangères et du Développement International, Institut Français an Element Pictures, Scarlet Films, Faliro House, Haut et Court, Lemming Film co-production in association with Limp and with the support of the MEDIA Programme of the European Union.

CAA brokered the deal for the U.S. rights, with The Lobster Alchemy’s third acquisition, after Gaspar Noe’s Love and Nanni Moretti’s Mia Madre.

The Lobster will be released in Ireland and the UK on October 16th.